Origin

The first meaning of grain, which is from Latin granum ‘seed’, also found in granary (late 16th century), granule (mid 17th century), and granite (mid 17th century) with its grain-like markings was, a single seed of a plant. From this developed the idea not only of a seed-like particle such as a grain of sand, salt, or gold but also of an arrangement of fibres that resembles small seeds or grains side by side, such as the ‘grain’ of a piece of wood. If something goes against the grain it is contrary to your natural inclination. This, dating from the mid 17th century, comes from carpentry. While grange is used today for a country house it was originally a barn for grain and comes from medieval Latin granica (villa) ‘grain house’, based on granum. Garner (Middle English) was originally also a word for a granary, and comes via French from the same source.

grainer

It is part of a joint exhibition with the Painting Craft Teachers' Association and the wonderful pieces will be displayed alongside work by some of the country's best contemporary grainers and marblers.

‘My father was a painter and decorator and wood grainer,’ she said.

Those big 440 - grainers are a handful and I wasn't going to practice with them all afternoon.

grainless

This highly sophisticated camera - one of only six in the world - produces a lush, full-color, high resolution, vividly detailed, virtually grainless surface, large format, contact photograph in just 70 seconds!

The granular quality of the early calotypes lent itself to a continuation of the picturesque aesthetic, while the grainless, mirror quality of the daguerreotype offered an illusion of unmediated reality.

The technique is essentially a development of the woodcut, the earliest of printmaking methods, but linocuts are much simpler to make because the material is soft and grainless and therefore easier to work.